International Cricket Council (ICC)

Monday, October 26, 2015

Du Plessis and de Kock break into ODI top 10 after series win in India

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Du Plessis has jumped seven places and is level in 10th place by wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock who has vaulted 13 places.

Du Plessis and de Kock break into ODI top 10 after series win in India - Cricket News

Quinton de Kock vaulted 13 places after scoring 318 runs in the series against India.

Patel, Zadran and Rabada and Hotak rocket up the bowler rankings as Starc reclaims number-one position

Zimbabwe and Afghanistan players also on the rise

South Africa has retained its third position but has reduced second-ranked India’s advantage to two points in the ICC ODI Team Rankings following its 3-2 series victory, which concluded with a mammoth 214-run victory in Mumbai on Sunday.

The Proteas went into the series on 110 points, five adrift of MS Dhoni’s men, but AB de Villiers’ side fought back after conceding early ground to clinch the series in a dramatic final game.
Meanwhile, as a consequence of the 3-2 home series defeat, Zimbabwe has stayed in 10^th place, a fraction ahead of Ireland, with Afghanistan one more point behind following its historic inaugural series victory over a Test playing country.

By stint of a series of impressive batting displays the top 10 has re-jigged and a number of Proteas batsmen have risen in theICC Player Rankings for ODI Batsmen. Skipper de Villiers retains his number one ranking, and is now 96 points clear of India’s Virat Kohli in second place, after scoring three centuries (104 not out, 112 and 119) in five matches. Hashim Amla has dropped three places to fifth, while Dhoni has moved up two places to sixth and holds an 11-point advantage over his team-mate Shikhar Dhawan.

There is a career high jump of seven places for François du Plessis who is level in 10^th place by wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock who has vaulted 13 places after scoring 318 runs in the series, including 103 and a match-winning 109 in the decider. There were also gains for Rohit Sharma (up three places to 12^th) and career-high gains for Ajinkya Rahane (up 11 to 27^th) and Farhaan Behardien (up 12 to 76^th).

Following the series in Zimbabwe the following batsmen have also risen up the rankings; Sikandar Raza (up 14 to 40th), Sean Williams (up seven to 44th), Mohammad Nabi (up 19 to a career-high 47th) and Craig Ervine (up 19 to 61^st), while Noor Ali Zadran has broken into the top 100 for the first time after vaulting 26 places to 93^rd.

In the ICC Players Rankings for ODI Bowlers, Australia’s Mitchell Starc has returned to the top of tree as Imran Tahir has slipped four places in the top 10. Dale Steyn has dropped one place to sixth, although Morne Morkel has climbed three places to eighth, and is now six points behind Mitchell Johnson, after claiming seven wickets for 132 runs in three matches.

Ravichandran Ashwin has dropped a place to 10^th, while a number of other bowlers have made significant gains across both series including Akshar Patel (up 19 to 28^th), Amit Mishra (up 13 to 32^nd), Dawlat Zadran (up 69 to a career-high 34^th), Mohit Sharma (up four to 44^th) and young Proteas paceman Kagiso Rabada has risen 58 places to a career-high 49^th after being the joint-leading wicket-taker in the series alongside Steyn with 10.

There were career-high placements for Afghanistan duo Mirwais Ashraf (up 10 to 56^th) and Hamza Hotak (up 56 to 84^th).

The all-rounder list is unchanged with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan continuing to lead the way on 418 points.

ICC ODI Championship table (as on 26 October, after India-South Africa & Zimbabwe-Afghanistan series):
Rank   Team             Points
1          Australia          127
2          India                114
3          South Africa    112
4          New Zealand   109
5          Sri Lanka         103
6          England           100
7          Bangladesh      96
8          West Indies      88
9          Pakistan           88
10        Zimbabwe       46
11        Ireland             46
12        Afghanistan     45

(Developed by David Kendix)

ICC ODI PLAYER RANKINGS (as on 26 October, after India-South Africa & Zimbabwe-Afghanistan series):

Batsmen (top 10)

Rank    (+/-)       Player               Team       Pts         Ave        HS Rating
1           ( - )          AB de Villiers        SA           900        54.21     902 v NZ at Auckland 2015
   2           (+1)         Virat Kohli            Ind          804        50.60     886 v Ban at Fatullah 2014
   3           (+1)         K. Williamson       NZ          788        48.02     798 v SA at Centurion 2015
   4           (+1)         T. Dilshan              SL           781        39.71     802 v Sco at Hobart 2015
   5           (-3)          Hashim Amla       SA           776        52.70     901 v Eng at Trent Bridge 2012
   6           (+2)         MS Dhoni              Ind          741        52.26     836 v Aus at Delhi 2009
   7           (-1)          S. Dhawan            Ind          730        42.93     794 v SA at Melbourne 2015
   8           (-1)          Ross Taylor          NZ          728        43.91     743 v Zim at Harare 2015
   9           ( - )          Glenn Maxwell     Aus         717        34.88     724 v Pak at Adelaide 2015
10=       (+7)         F. du Plessis           SA           715!       39.65     715 v Ind at Mumbai 2015
                (+13)      Q. de Kock            SA           715        39.86     749 v Aus at Sydney 2014

Selected rankings

Rank     (+/-)     Player               Team        Pts         Ave        HS Rating
12         (+3)         Rohit Sharma       Ind          702        39.71     715 v SA at Rajkot 2015
24         (-6)          Suresh Raina        Ind          625        35.46     669 v Eng at Dharamsala 2013
27         (+11)      Ajinkya Rahane Ind          609!       32.53     609 v SA at Mumbai 2015
33         (-7)          David Miller          SA           592        34.98     635 v Ban at Mirpur 2015
35         (-1)          JP Duminy            SA           573        38.98     668 v Net at Mohali 2011
40         (+14)      Sikandar Raza     Zim         563        34.05     576 v Afg at Bulawayo 2015
44         (+7)         Sean Williams      Zim         547        33.62     556 v Ind at Auckland 2015
47         (+19)      M. Nabi                 Afg         541!       30.71     541 v Zim at Bulawayo 2015
61         (+19)      Craig Ervine          Zim         506*      38.54     524 v Afg at Bulawayo 2015
76         (+12)      F. Behardien         SA           479*!    29.95     479 v Ind at Mumbai 2015
92         (+1)         A. Stanikzai          Afg         429        24.23     450 v SL at Dunedin 2015
93         (+26)      N. Ali Zadran        Afg         424*!    30.61     424 v Zim at Bulawayo 2015

Bowlers (top 10)

Rank     (+/-)      Player              Team       Pts          Ave      Econ       HS Rating
1           (+1)         Mitchell Starc       Aus         713        19.65     4.85       783 v NZ at Melbourne 2015
   2           (+1)         Sunil Narine          WI          709        26.49     4.10       791 v SL at Jamaica 2013
   3           (+1)         Trent Boult           NZ          705*      24.08     4.64       738 v Eng at The Oval 2015
   4           (+2)         S. Al Hasan           Ban        690        28.35     4.30       717 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
   5           (-4)          Imran Tahir          SA           688        22.94     4.49       735 v SL at Sydney 2015
   6           (-1)          Dale Steyn            SA           682        25.93     4.86       746 v Ind at Durban 2013
   7           ( - )          M. Johnson           Aus         672        25.26     4.83       724 v Ban at Darwin 2008
   8           (+3)         Morne Morkel      SA           666        23.98     4.90       717 v SL at East London 2012
   9           (-1)          Saeed Ajmal         Pak         655        22.73     4.18       810 v SA at Centurion 2013
10         (-1)          R. Ashwin              Ind          640        31.27     4.81       691 v SL at Hambantota 2012

Selected rankings

Rank     (+/-)        Player             Team      Pts         Ave       Econ      HS Rating
12         (+1)         M. Shami              Ind          604        24.89     5.54       654 v Ban at Melbourne 2015
15         (-5)          B. Kumar              Ind          597        36.45     4.82       657 v WI at Dharamsala 2014
28         (+19)      Akshar Patel         Ind          550*      28.82     4.73       559 v SA at Chennai 2015
32         (+13)      Amit Mishra         Ind          537*      26.44     4.71       570 v Zim at Bulawayo 2013
34         (+69)      Dawlat Zadran     Afg         534*!    30.46     5.46       534 v Zim at Bulawayo 2015
41         (-7)          Tendai Chatara   Zim         507*      34.29     5.20       562 v Ire at Hobart 2015
42         (-6)          M. Nabi                 Afg         500        41.04     4.34       564 v Ire at Dubai (GCA) 2015
  44         (+4)         Mohit Sharma      Ind          496*      32.90     5.45       506 v SA at Chennai 2015
49         (+58)      Kagiso Rabada    SA           485*!    20.23     4.87       485 v Ind at Mumbai 2015
56         (+10)      Mirwais Ashraf    Afg         477*!    33.75     4.08       477 v Zim at Bulawayo 2015
84         (+56)      Hamza Hotak      Afg         424*!    23.85     3.85       424 v Zim at Bulawayo 2015
98         (+5)         Harbhajan Singh Ind          402*      33.35     4.60       735 v WI at Barbados 2002

All-rounders

Rank     (+/-)      Player                Team     Pts        HS Rating
   1           ( - )          Shakib Al Hasan Ban         418        453 v Zim at Chittagong 2009
   2           ( - )          T. Dilshan              SL          379        415 v Sco at Hobart 2015
   3           ( - )          Angelo Mathews SL          375        427 v Eng at Colombo (RPS) 2014
   4           ( - )          M. Hafeez             Pak        353        438 v Ind at Kolkata 2013
   5           ( - )          Glenn Maxwell     Aus        348        351 v Eng at Headingley 2015


*indicates provisional rating; a batsman qualifies for a full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings; a bowler qualifies for a full rating after he has conceded 1,500 runs.
!indicates career-highest rating

Dawlat fires Afghanistan to victory in first T20I

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Nabi and Najibullah build on bowler’s good work to seal six-wicket win against Zimbabwe

Dawlat fires Afghanistan to victory in first T20I - Cricket News

Afghanistan followed a historic series win in the One-Day Internationals against Zimbabwe with a thrilling six-wicket win against the same opponent in the first Twenty20 International of a two-match series.

Victory was set-up by Dawlat Zadran’s three-wicket haul and an unbeaten half-century stand between Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Monday (October 26).

After opting to bat, Sikandar Raza (59) and Chamu Chibhabha (54) had put on a century stand for the opening wicket before Zimbabwe's batting was kept to 153 for 5, with Dawlat returning 3 for 29 in his four overs.

Dawlat was on a hat-trick at one stage, while Nabi and Rashid Khan also took a wicket each.

Afghanistan lost a few wickets during the middle overs, but its batsmen ensured that the side was never out of the chase. Najibullah (37 not out off 26) and Nabi (33 not out off 25) put on an unbroken 69-run partnership off just 49 balls for the fifth wicket, steering the side from 85 for 4 in 11 overs to the target of 154 in 19.1 overs.

The start to the match was exciting, as Raza struck a four and a six in the first over off Amir Hamza, even as Chibhabha played himself in.

Raza could have been out for 32 when he was almost caught short of the crease, but a missed direct hit chance at the striker’s end resulted in a reprieve. The batsman made full use of the opportunity, scoring his maiden T20I half-century off 31 deliveries.

Chibhabha looked tentative and took his time to settle, but the steady hitting of Raza allowed Zimbabwe to chug along at a healthy rate, bringing up a century stand in 12.1 overs. Just when it seemed like Zimbabwe was set to pile on a daunting total, Raza handed a return catch to Rashid to end an entertaining 41-ball knock.

Although Chibhabha went on to score a half-century, Zimbabwe was reined in after the opening stand, with only 53 runs scored in the last 45 balls. Afghanistan fought back through some excellent death bowling, with Dawlat especially troubling the batsmen with a series of yorkers.

Sean Williams failed to get going, and while Elton Chigumbura, the captain, tonked his first ball for six he couldn’t add quick runs after that. It was only Richmond Mutumbami's six off the last ball of the innings that pushed Zimbabwe past the 150-run mark.

Afghanistan showed early promise, when Mohammad Shahzad (34 off 21) and Usman Ghani (13 off 18), the openers, started solidly, but was then jolted by wickets. Tendai Chisoro, the left-arm spinner, ended the 48-run opening stand in the seventh over, and Wellington Masakadza bowled Ghani in the next over.

Asghar Stanikzai, the captain, tried to plug holes with a couple of sixes but was soon run out and Afghanistan lost its fourth wicket when Karim Sadiq was caught behind for 17.

But it was Nabi and Najibullah’s stand that turned the fortunes for Afghanistan. The duo kept calm, paced their innings to perfection and made sure that Afghanistan went over the line without losing any more wickets.

Nabi continued his good form and sparked a revival with some quick running between the wickets and a couple of sixes. Najibullah also played a good hand, with some fearless hits across the boundary. With six runs required off the last over, Najibullah lofted the first delivery straight down the ground to continue Afghanistan’s winning streak.

Afghanistan can now add to its ODI series triumph if it is successful in the second and final T20I, which will take place at the same venue on Wednesday.

To see the full scorecard of this game, please click here.

Pakistan makes inroad, scents victory

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Chasing a record 491, England reaches 130 for 3 at close on penultimate day

Pakistan makes inroad, scents victory - Cricket News

Younis Khan celebrates his century.

Pakistan picked up three wickets including the key scalp of Alastair Cook to close in on victory in the second Test against England after Younus Khan smashed a century in Dubai on Sunday (October 25).

Pakistan needs seven more wickets to snatch a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after Younus' brilliant 118 helped it set a daunting world record 491-run target for England.

At stumps, England was 130 for 3 with Joe Root on a fighting 59 and Jonny Bairstow on six. England needs 361 more for an unlikely victory, or will have to bat out the final day on a wearing Dubai Stadium pitch on Monday.

It will be a tough task for the England batsmen with the pitch offering turn, Yasir Shah, the legspinner, and Zulfiqar Babar, the left-arm spinner, posing a real threat.

Earlier, Pakistan declared 35 minutes after lunch, with Younus well supported by Misbah-ul-Haq’s 87 and Asad Shafiq’s 79.

England was in deep trouble at 45 for 2 at tea when Ian Bell (46) and Root defied the Pakistan bowling during a 102-run stand for the third wicket. But Babar broke the partnership when he sharply spun a delivery which Bell tried to leave but gloved to the slip, where Younus took an easy catch.

Pakistan reviewed the not out decision by Bruce Oxenford and was duly rewarded. Bell hit four boundaries during his 121-ball resistance-packed knock.

Root edged Shah through the slips to complete his 16th Test half-century, his 12th fifty-plus score in 2015 which is a new record for an England batsman, beating Keith Fletcher's 11 in 1973. He has so far hit five boundaries in his resolute 134-ball knock.

It was Imran Khan who provided Pakistan with an early wicket, forcing an edge off Moeen Ali to slip, where Younus took the catch.

Cook, who scored 65 in the first innings and an epic 263 in the first Test, failed to keep a sweep off Shah down and was smartly caught at deep square-leg by Wahab Riaz.

Earlier, it was Younus who set the tone for a big target. He punched Stuart Broad to the point boundary for his 11th four to reach three figures off 193 balls, his third hundred against England.

He was finally dismissed as he tried to pace the run-rate, skying a catch off Adil Rashid, the legspinner. In all, he hit 13 boundaries during his 354-minute knock.

Pakistan, resuming on 222 for 3, looked for quick runs. Misbah had scored a brilliant 102 in Pakistan's first innings of 378, but failed to add to his overnight 87.

He played an uppish shot to a slower delivery from James Anderson which landed in the hands of Cook at mid-off. Misbah hit eight boundaries and five sixes in his enterprising 147-ball innings.

England's bowlers toiled hard to check the flow of runs as Rashid conceded 107 runs before finally getting a wicket. Moeen trapped Shafiq leg-before wicket to finish with 1 for 60. Shafiq hit eight boundaries in his 112-ball knock. He added 113 runs for the fifth wicket with Younis.

Misbah declared the innings at the fall of Shafiq's wicket. Anderson with 2 for 22 and Mark Wood with 2 for 44 were the most successful English bowlers.

The first Test in Abu Dhabi had ended in a draw, and the third and final Test starts in Sharjah on November 1.

To see the full scorecard of this game, please click here.

Zimbabwe eager to make amends in T20I series

10:33 AM No comments

The momentum is with Afghanistan after the historic ODI series win, but the home side has the edge with the ball

Zimbabwe eager to make amends in T20I series - Cricket News

Zimbabwe celebrates a wicket.

Buoyed by its come-from-behind victory in the One-Day International series, Afghanistan would look to carry forward the good work into the two-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe, the first of which takes place in Bulawayo on Monday (October 26).

Afghanistan has made four changes to its squad for the T20I series. Dawlat Zadran and Noor Ali Zadran, two of the team's best performers in the ODI series, have been left out along with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran, both left-hand batsmen. Drafted in are Usman Ghani, the 18-year-old batsman, Karim Sadiq, an offspinning allrounder, and Gulbadin Naib, the medium pacer.

Mohammad Nabi, who has flourished after his promotion to No. 3, and Mohammad Shahzad are the two experienced batsmen in the Afghan lineup, and would be key to the team’s success. Shahzad, in particular, will be a key player with his ability to hit a long ball. Samiullah Shenwari, the legspinning allrounder and an outstanding fielder, could play a decisive role for Afghanistan too.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, would want to turn things around after a disappointing series loss. Sean Williams, who scored a fighting century in the last ODI, Sikander Raza, Richmond Mutumbami, Chamu Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura have been in decent touch with the bat for them, and Zimbabwe would hope a couple of them make a big impact impact in the T20I series.

While both teams seem equally placed with the bat, it is with the ball that Zimbabwe holds a bit of an edge, especially with Dawlat not in the mix. Tendai Chisoro, the left-arm seamer, and Wellington Masakadza, the left-arm spinner, bowled with great control for it in the ODIs, picking up important wickets and going at less than 4.50 runs an over.

In the absence of Dawlat, easily Afghanistan’s best bowler in the ODI series, Shapoor Zadran, the tall left-arm seamer, has to shoulder a lot of the responsibility for Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is riding a wave of confidence after it became the first associate nation to beat a full-member team in a bilateral ODI series. But, while momentum may be in Afghanistan’s favour, Zimbabwe has shown that it is a hard team to beat at home and will be keen to make amends.

Teams (from)

Zimbabwe: Chamu Chibhabha, Richmond Mutumbami (wk), Brian Chari, Sean Williams, Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza, Tino Mutombodzi, Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Taurai Muzarabani, John Nyumbu, Tendai Chisoro, Neville Madziva, Tinashe Panyangara, Craig Ervine.

Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (c), Aftab Alam, Amir Hamza, Fareed Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Nawroz Mangal, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shenwari, Shafiqullah, Shapoor Zadran, Usman Ghani.

Rain washes out fourth day’s play in Colombo

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West Indies stranded on 20 for 1 in its chase of 244 to level two-Test series

Rain washes out fourth day’s play in Colombo - Cricket News

Umpires inspecting a field.

Persistent rain prevented any play on the fourth day of the second Test in Colombo on Sunday (October 25), with West Indies needing another 224 runs with nine wickets in hand for its first Test win in Sri Lanka.

West Indies had reached 20 for 1 with Shai Hope on 17 when rain stopped play on Saturday evening, and the covers remained on the field throughout Sunday at the P Sara Oval.

The umpires finally cancelled play for the day at 2.45 pm local time following another inspection of the rain-soaked pitch and outfield.

Batting first, Sri Lanka was dismissed for 200, but responded by shooting West Indies out for just 163 before scoring 206 in its second innings to set the visitor a target of 244 to level the two-Test series. Sri Lanka had won the first Test in Galle by an innings and six runs.

West Indies has not won any of its ten previous Tests in Sri Lanka since the first game between the sides on Sri Lankan soil in 1993.

Joyce, Porterfield in massive stand for Ireland

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Duo adds 326 for second wicket as visitor reaches 402 for 3 and opens up 151-run lead over Namibia in Intercontinental Cup clash

Joyce, Porterfield in massive stand for Ireland - Cricket News

Joyce was the aggressor in the partnership, hitting 26 fours and six sixes in a brilliant 201-ball knock of 205.

The second day of the Intercontinental Cup match between Ireland and Namibia in Windhoek on Sunday (October 25) ended with the visitor taking a first-innings lead of 151, riding on a massive 326-run second-wicket partnership between William Porterfield and Ed Joyce.

After restricting Namibia, which was 250 for 9 at stumps on day one, to just 251, Porterfield and Paul Stirling started Ireland's innings on a positive note, but it was the second-wicket stand that laid the platform for their massive end-of-day total of 402 for 3.
Christopher Coombe, the right-arm medium-pacer, removed Stirling in the tenth over, caught by Zane Green behind the stumps for a 22-ball 15. But Porterfield and Joyce continued attacking the Namibian bowlers.

Joyce was the aggressor in the partnership, hitting 26 fours and six sixes in a brilliant 201-ball knock of 205. The left-hand batsman was finally dismissed in the 77th over, when Gerry Snyman had him caught by Raymond van Schoor as he walked back 26 runs short of his highest first-class score of 231, made against United Arab Emirates in the same tournament in June this year.

Even though Joyce's fireworks proved the day’s highlight, Porterfield himself went past the 150-run mark in his shadow, remaining unbeaten on 153 off 273 balls, having hit 17 fours and a six during his knock.

Gary Wilson, batting at No. 5, kept Porterfield company with an unbeaten 22 off 58 balls after Namibia managed to remove Niall O'Brien for a duck soon after Joyce's dismissal.

On the opening day, JP Kotze, the left-hand batsman, had top-scored for Namibia with 78, but all six bowlers used by Porterfield returned successful spells to prevent the host from building any sizeable partnerships.

Namibia had won its opening encounter of the tournament against Hong Kong by 114 runs, while Ireland opened its campaign with an innings and 26-run win over United Arab Emirates.

Rampant South Africa seals series triumph

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e Kock, du Plessis and de Villiers smash hundreds as India is humbled by 214 runs in decider

Rampant South Africa seals series triumph - Cricket News

Much has been said of how difficult batting has become in One-Day Internationals after the new rules came into effect in July. There have been numerous instances even in this India-South Africa series of batsmen struggling to get going, particularly on the slow wickets.

On Sunday (October 25), though, a packed and noisy Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai witnessed a throwback to the not-so-distant past in ODI cricket, with batsmen demolishing bowlers with disdain.

Unfortunately for them, it was India which was at the receiving end with South Africa blasting its way to 438 for 4 in 50 overs, setting up a massive and historic 214-run victory in the final ODI. It helped AB de Villiers’s side hurtle to a 3-2 series victory, South Africa;s first bilateral ODI series triumph on Indian soil.

The downside of such a massive score is that the second innings, on most occasions, becomes merely a formality.

Ajinkya Rahane fought valiantly with a typically classy 58-ball 87 but India could manage only 224 as it was bowled out in the 36th over, succumbing to its heaviest loss in terms of runs at home, and its second heaviest overall.

At the forefront of South Africa’s batting-bash were centuries from the three in-form batsmen – Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and de Villiers. It was du Plessis’s first, de Kock’s second and de Villiers’s third century of the series.

De Kock set the platform with an 87-ball 109 – his fifth century against India — before passing on the baton to du Plessis (133 off 115) and de Villiers (119 off 61), as South Africa brought up the highest ever ODI score in India. A whopping 38 fours and 20 sixes – 11 of them from de Villiers – flew to every part of the stadium.

In all four previous games of the series, the team winning the toss opted to bat and went on to win. So when de Villiers called right on a flat pitch, it set things up perfectly for the batsmen to make merry.

And make merry they did. The tone was set in the first 10 overs, South Africa’s openers feasting on generous offerings from the Indian pacemen. India tried to exploit the bounce on the Wankhede pitch by bowling short, but at their gentle pace, it was way too easy.

Hashim Amla led the initial charge. He started with a flurry of boundaries and became the fastest batsman to 6000 ODI runs before perishing by the sword when he edged Mohit Sharma to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, looking to cut a short ball.

The wicket, though, did not affect de Kock. The pacers were either short or wide or both, and with the ball coming on nicely to the bat, he pulled, glanced, flicked and drove on the up, and South Africa scored as many as 14 fours in the first 10 overs.

Dhoni turned to spin but de Kock was already in the mood to have fun and continued to find the boundary with remarkable ease. The humidity was such that de Kock was already tiring by the 20th over but it turned out to be a blessing of sorts, allowing him the freedom to go for his shots even more. A disdainful whip over deep square-leg and a drive through covers, off Mohit, took him to 99 and the century was completed with a calm flick off his 78th ball.

It was just the 23rd over and de Kock had a real chance of making it huge, but a tired shot to the deep off Suresh Raina ended his stay. There was no respite though, as de Villiers walked out. It was the perfect platform and the South African captain had the license – if at all he needed one – to attack from the word go.

Sixes flew off de Villiers’s bat off every Indian bowler to perhaps every stand in the stadium, taking him past his half-century in 34 balls. Soon, it was near impossible to keep track of who was hit where.

Amid all the de Kock and de Villiers carnage, du Plessis silently strolled to his century without fuss. He was suffering from cramps and batting on one leg in the later half of his knock but still managed to slam sixes at will before retiring hurt to a standing ovation.

But there was no such trouble for de Villiers. The six-feast continued and even the usually partisan Wankhede crowd began chants of “AB, AB”. Why, even the Indian players wore wry smiles. De Villiers breezed his way to his 23rd ODI ton in just 57 balls and by the time he fell, South Africa was on the brink of 400 with more than three overs to spare. In times where the last 10 overs are supposed to be not too easy for batting, South Africa plundered 144 runs in the period.

That India had an off-day would be an understatement. No bowler conceded less than six runs an over and as many as four catches were put down. De Kock was dropped on 58 by Mohit, while du Plessis received reprieves from Rahane and Amit Mishra on 45 and 86 respectively. Late in the piece, Farhaan Behardien was put down by Raina, but that was almost inconsequential.

India lost Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli within the first eight overs of the chase but Rahane steadied the innings along with Shikhar Dhawan.

Both received reprieves early in their knocks and carried on to reach contrasting half-centuries. While Dhawan wasn’t at his fluent best, Rahane played some gorgeous shots. He came down the track to hit Imran Tahir for straight sixes and used the pace against the pacers, finding the boundary almost at will with some classy strokes.

The partnership reached 100 in 82 balls and the big screen displayed that both sides were on the same score in the 23rd over, but Kagiso Rabada ended any hope of a miracle with a double strike. Dhawan lofted the pacer to extra cover where Amla took a good catch diving to his left and Raina followed, bowled behind his pads by a yorker.

Rahane kept going with a few more attractive shots but once he mishit Dale Steyn to deep mid-wicket, it was just a matter of time. Steyn and Tahir ran through the lower order and bowled India out in just 36 overs. The ever so impressive Rabada ended with four wickets, while Steyn and Tahir took three and two respectively.

It was the first one-sided match of the series, and came at the perfect time for South Africa.

To see the full scorecard of this game, please click here.

Monday, October 26, 2015

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